FREE!:: AUTOSOUND SPECS for CAR See Page 113 for Details for Further Information Wr Te Audio Autosound (Mei, 1515 Broadway, New York
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FREE!:: AUTOSOUND SPECS FOR CAR See page 113 for details For further information wr te Audio Autosound (Mei, 1515 Broadway, New York. NY 1(036. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY MA" 1989 US S2.75 UK £2.00 CAN $2.95 CAR STEREODIRECTORY FULL SPECS ON THE LATESTAND BEST AUTOMOTIVE GEAR ROAD WAR!! CAR AMPS TESTED TESTED HARMAN KARDON CR151 CAR RADIO MITSUBISHI DT -10 DAT PLAYER 270301 Reference Standard The road demands the very Designer Series most from music. Nowhere else but in the mobile environment does music have to compete againstwind, noise. ponent driversadapted directly from our engine nimble and street Series. So building autosound compo- remarkable IRS and Kappa Home Allowing an even wider choiceof nents that candeliver the full emotional punch, the musical powerof a live per- applications is the Kappa Automotive formance despite these obstacles is a Series of integrated and component speakers, similarly designed tosatisfy the monumental undertaking. fanatic- But we at Infinity love achallenge. critical ears of the serious-even A challenge that has led to afull lover of music. Because space in some cars comes series of technologicallyand musically each at a very high premium, wedesigned the advanced autosound components, fea- enabling you to finally realisethe full Reference Standard Plate System, sonic power of your music as was turing Infinity's exclusive before possible in a car. IMG (Injection -Molded never Graphite) cone woofer (What else would you expect and revolutionary from a group of music-obsessed physicists driven to EMIT k tweeter. ex -aerospace And to drive build what critics hail as thebest- Kappa Automotive the world's best sounding loudspeaker system ever Series automotive speakers, we made: the 71/2 ffoot tall, $50,000Infinity Reference Standard V?) created four muscular new power amps Here, for the very highest- well deserving of the nameReference Standard Amplifier Series. A performance autosound installations, is Series So now, if you want to experience the Reference Standard Designer of music breakthrough of the pure, pulse -pounding power -a Reference Standard Plate System in your car, whether inthe stand -back automotive transducer fury technology, with corn - snapof a Fender bass or the rising of a symphony orchestra, youknow just what it takes. Infinity. Components by and for people who drive autosoundperformance to extremes. kr Infinity Reference Standard Amplifier Series We get you back to what it's all about.Music. Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311, (818) 709-9400. ©1989, Infinity Systems, Inc., 9409 Owensmouth H A Harman International Company. Enter No. 21 on Reader Service Card MAY 1989 VOL. 73, NO. 5 harman karcion r SEr. ME M,Z,A.- 3 Sc 8 Harman Kardon Car Stereo, page 54 FEATURES ROAD WAR: 5 CAR AMPS TESTED L. Feldman and I. Berger TWO CAR PROJECTS: 38 AN OP -AMP POWER SUPPLY, & A SUBWOOFER CROSSOVER Car Stereo Directory, page 115 Richard J. Kaufman 51 EQUIPMENT PROFILES HARMAN KARDON CR151 CAR STEREO L. Feldman and I. Berger MITSUBISHI DT -10 54 CAR DAT PLAYER L Feldman and IBerger 70 CAR STEREO DIRECTORY INTRODUCTION DAT PLAYERS 115 AMPS/EQUALIZERS 115 CD PLAYERS 116 RADIOS/TAPE PLAYERS 129 SPEAKERS 131 COMPANY ADDRESSES 142 171 MUSIC REVIEWS ROCK/POP RECORDINGS CLASSICAL RECORDINGS 89 JAZZ & BLUES 98 104 DEPARTMENTS SIGNALS & NOISE CODA: IRV DEMSKY 4 AUDIOCLINIC 6 Joseph Giovanelli 12 TAPE GUIDE Herman Burstein..... AUDIO ETC 14 Edward Tatnall Canby 15 BEHIND THE SCENES Bert Whyte SPECTRUM 26 L. Feldman and S. Elliott 32 The Cover Subject: 1989 BMW 735i. The Cover Photographer: ©1989, Bill Ashe Audio Publishing, Editorial, and AdvertisingOffices, 1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036. se-) Subscription Inquiries, (800) 525-0643; in Colorado, (303) 447-9330. 5 Car Amps Tested, page 38 BEST OFBOTH WORLDS Great musical performances preserved onanalog LP and compact disc continue to benefit fromthe further refine- ment of analog technology. The No. 25Dual Monaural Phono Preamplifier and balanced inputoption expand the flexibility and performance available from theNo. 26 Dual Monaural Preamplifier system. When usedtogether. or independently. they offer a new level ofperformance and musical realism for any phono or balanced outputhigh level source. All Mark Levinson products are handcraftedin limited quantities to ensure their high standards.Visit your Mark Levinson dealer to hear how good music cansound in your home. LABORATORIES Mark Levinson* products are designed aidmanufactured by MADRIGAL AUDIO PO. Box 781.Middletown, CT 06451 I rf t. SIGNALS & NOISE LAW1% Editor: Eugene Pitts III Art Director: Cathy Cacchione Technical Editor: Ivan Berger Managing Editor: Kay Blumenthal Copy Chief: Manta Begley Associate Art Director: Linda Zerella Assistant Editor: Karen Clark Excoriated Example Editorial Assistant: Michael Bieber guys present and doing their jobs. I Dear Editor: only hope that with Page's next solo Associate Editors: I agree with the general theme ofventure, other critics will stop slam- Edward Tatnali Canby. Bert Whyte, B. V. Pisha Robert DelGavio'sletter,"Openingming him for not doing something that Senior Editors: Musical Minds" (November 1988), but Leonard Feldman. Howard A Roberson isabsolutely impossible-achieving Senior Editor/Music Features: Ted Fox I must take issue with the example hethe complete Zeppelin sound single- Editor -At -Large: David Lander used to make his point.In his com-handedly. Other critics should take ments, a Contributing Editors/Artist: Mr. DelGavio compares thegood, hard listento the pure gold Michael Aldred, Susan Borey. Herman Burstein, digital medium to a film negative. Icanpouring from their speakers. David L. Clark, Anthony H. Cordesman, Ted Costa, John Diliberto, Frank Driggs, John M. Eargle. hardly imagine anything more analog! Chelle Krueger The film negative is created by pho- Joseph Giovanelli, Bascom H. King, Gary Krakow, Austin, Tex. Hector G. La Torre, Edward M. Long, Frank Lovece, tons of light striking a chemicallytreat- Jon R. Sank, Donald Spoto, Michael Tearson. ed surface (film), thereby altering the Jon & Sally Tiven, Paulette Weiss, Sound Proof Michael Wright chemical composition of that surface. Dear Editor: This is very much the same Business Services Director: Greg Roperti as inscrib- In the March "Audioclinic,"a reader ing an electrical waveform into Circulation Director: Leon Rosenfield a physi- stated that from 1960 to 1965, his Mo- Production Director: Patti Burns cal medium, or "cutting" a phonograph torola hi-fi sounded "superior to live Production Manager: Nancy Potts record. Much like the phonographre- music" ("Old Is Better?"). Hewas lis- Research Director: Neil Karlin cord's noted fragility, the film negative Special Projects Coordinator: Phyllis K. Brady tening to euphonic music. I duplicate Ad Coordinator: Sylvia Correa can warp, yellow, or crack with age. this sound every day by playingre- Administrative Assistant: Joan R Mitchell The digital equivalent of thisprocess cords produced prior to about 1967, V.P,/Publisher: Stephen Goldberg is to store the image asan array ofwhich were made with tube recording computer data, or to "digitize" the de- equipment. (A new Sheffield record ADVERTISING sired scene. As with digital audio,the could also be used.) The records must Associate Publisher Stephen W. Witthoft (212) 719-6335 data may then be stored in a variety of be played back with all tube equip- media, without fear of degrading the Account Managers: R. Scott Constantine ment. I have told people that music (212) 719-6346 picture quality. Once a scene is digi-recorded prior to 1967 sounds better Barry Singer tized, the computer may also modifythan live music, and sometimes they (212) 719-6291 the data,if desired. The realism and Carol A. Berman accuse me of hearing loss. I invite (212) 719-6338 uncanny detailwithstate-of-the-artthem to my house to listen, and after- computer animation is something Western Manager: Bob Meth wewards, some agree that euphonicmu- Regional Manager: Paula Borgida Mayeri now almost take for granted. sic really does sound better. (213) 739-5130 While I appreciate the beauty of the Tony Mauld,n Automotive Manager: James Main early Disney "analog" animation, (313) 643-8800 I Lewisville, Tex. wonder what such an artist could have DCI EXECUTIVE STAFF done with a Cray animation Worksta- All That Sizzles President and CEO. Peter G Diamandis tion. Today's recording engineers and Executive V.P.: Robert F. Spillane Dear Editor: Sr. V.P., Finance, and CFO: Arthur Sukel musicians have the same brilliant and Gordon Pyzik ("Signals & Noise." Sr. V.P., Mfg. & Distribution: Murray M. Romer exciting opportunity. Let science and March) objected to what hesees as Sr. V.P., Operations: Robert J. Granata art combine to benefit us all! V.P.. Controller: David Pecker the neglect of rock and pop recordings V.P.. General Counsel: Catherine Flickinger Tom Larsenas viable program sources in Audio's Electrical Engineering Student AUDIO. May 1989, Volume 73, Number 5. equipment reviews. He's right. Acom- AUDIO (ISSN 0004-752X. Dewey Decimal Number Oregon State Universitypetent loudspeaker reviewer doesne- 621.381 or 778.5) is published monthly by DCI, a Corvallis, Ore. wholly owned subsidiary of Hachette Publications, Inc.. glect rock and pop music, with good at 1515 Broadway. New York, N.Y. 10036. Printed in reason. US.A. at Dyersburg. Tenn. Distributed by Warner Page's Turn We tend to forget that the "fi" in hi-fi Publisher Services Inc. Second class postage paid at Dear Editor: New York, N.Y. 10001 and additional mailing offices. stands for fidelity. Hi-fi hardwarepur- Subscriptions in the U.S.. $21 94 for one year, $39.94 Michael Wright's review of Jimmyports to be accurate. The onecompo- for two years. $53.94 for three years: other countries. Page's Outrider album ("Rock/Pop Re- add $6 00 per year. AUDIO' is a registered trademark nent that chronically falls short of the of DCIt 1989. Diamandis Communications Inc. All cordings," January) was sucha re-goal is the loudspeaker.